A website to empower citizens and civil society groups with information about contestants and constituencies to help voters make an informed choice in the elections was launched by the former Chief Election Commissioner of India, J. M. Lyngdoh, here on Wednesday.

The unique website www.EmpoweringIndia.org created by Delhi-based think Tank Liberty Institute digitised data related to 45,000 candidates who contested in Parliament and Assembly elections in the last five years.
The effort was to present the information including assets declared by candidates in their affidavits, criminal background if any, in a user-friendly manner so that people could analyse and compare the data available and draw their own inferences, said Institute Director Barun Mitra. For instance, the website threw up information that a former Chief Minister of Karnataka, had declared financial assets worth Rs.4 crore in 2004 elections and Rs. 39 crore in 2008.
Similarly, data showed that 102 out of 254 MLAs in Bihar faced criminal charges. State Chief Electoral Officer I. V. Subbarao said efforts were on to demystify voter registration process
Besides providing drop boxes in popular places to enable citizens drop voter enrolment Form 6, voters could soon enrol their names in the voters’ list.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/13/stories/2008111355080600.htm